“I could compare my music to white light, which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.”
– Arvo Pärt
The music in this concert turns toward the light. Toward silence, clarity, and deep attentiveness. At its heart stands Arvo Pärt – who turns 90 this year – one of the most influential composers of our time. His music does not merely fill the room with sound, but with presence.
Pärt’s works form the backbone of the concert – from the meditative flow of I am the True Vine, through the whispered comfort of The Deer’s Cry, to the serene circling of And I Heard a Voice. This is music that invites immersion – not toward a fixed goal, but as an opportunity to simply dwell in sound with open senses.
Surrounding Pärt, we weave in works by the Italian Renaissance master G.P. da Palestrina, as well as Baltic composers Rytis Mazulis, Urmas Sisask, and Ēriks Ešenvalds – artists who, despite differences in time and style, share a sensitivity to the sacred and the beautiful. Here, the polyphony of the Renaissance meets the sonic minimalism of the Baltic region in a shared search for meaning.
At the center of the program, a brand-new work by Danish composer Mette Nielsen will be premiered – set to the poem Frugt og grønne sager (Fruit and Greens) by Danish-Iranian poet Shëkufe Tadayoni Heiberg. The piece opens a new dimension in the concert: sensuous, playful, and full of color. Here, the voice becomes not only a bearer of prayer or stillness, but of juice and humor, earth and imagination.
To the Light is not just a concert, but a space of presence and reflection – where the voice resonates, the music breathes, and silence is allowed to shine. A moment to step away from the noise of everyday life and into a clear light, where not everything needs to be explained, only felt.
ARS NOVA Copenhagen is widely recognized as one of the finest vocal groups in Europe. Founded in 1979, the ensemble today is busier than ever. In addition to its annual season of concerts in Copenhagen and throughout Denmark, the ensemble regularly appears across Europe, in North and South America, and Asia. Ars Nova is also building collaborations with creative artists in different fields such as drama, film and ballet, as well as cultivating new modes of concert performance and innovative repertoire.
